Tuesday, August 30, 2016

One of the things I hope to accomplish with my blog posts
here at The Queen’s Inkling is to showcase the versatility of the stamps and
other supplies I use. Therefore, you’ll often recognize something you’ve seen
in past projects!

For example:

Two weeks ago I incorporated a Rubbermoon stamp that says
‘Best Day Ever!’ into a series of torn paper collage Artist Trading Cards. This
time its back as part of a trio of envelopes (one of them shown above) as well as providing
some decorative linear elements for the ATCs. I inked up only the lines from
above the text (shown below).

Last week I used the Shrine Top stamp as a head for some
quirky figures and as a decorative element on a trio of cards. This week, it
shows up turned upside down as a table on which a small figure stands, to the
right on the envelope shown below.

This week I’m introducing more whimsical and wonderful Rubbermoon
stamps - a mermaid, dog, bubbles, and more! Yes. I’m definitely a big time fan
of this company’s images. Not to worry – Patti Euler, owner of The Queen’s Ink,
will do her best to keep them in stock so blog followers can find them in the
store or order over the phone.

And even though I designed ATCs only two weeks ago, I’m
revisiting them, this time as simple ‘stamp and color’ projects. Such an easy
and fast way to experiment – not too time consuming and SO much fun!

INSTRUCTIONS

If you are an experienced paper crafter, use the photos as
inspiration and head straight to the supply list. If you’re new to stamping and
want to create ATCs that look just like mine, please follow the steps below. Design Detoursin italic font provide extra information and tips.

1. Cut an 8.5” x 11” piece of light tan cardstock into
ATC-size pieces as follows: Cut two 2.5” wide strips and one 5.3” wide strip.
Cut each of the 2.5” strips into three 3.5” long pieces. Cut the 3.5” wide
strips into four 2.5” high pieces. Voila! Ten ATCs waiting to decorate…

2. Stamp a little scene on each rectangle. Use the same
color ink and an artist’s sponge to smudge a bit of color here and there. Also
smudge a contrasting color on some or all of the ATCs (I used bright yellow on
one set of five). Design Detour: I
stamped five pairs with two of the same composition on each pair, but it could
have been ten different ones, or all ten alike. Vary as you choose! All of my
ATCs are vertical rectangles, but yours don’t have to be.

3. Add dimensional glaze to selected areas of the ATCs, as
shown above, and set aside to dry. Design
Detour: I did this for one set of five ATCs, adding dimension and sparkle to
the stamped bubbles, to the eyes of one of the figures and the dog, and to the
area around the words ‘Sprinkle Magic’.

4. Color with pencils or markers. Design Detour: I used colored pencils with soft blends for the five
ATCs with dimensional elements, shown above. I used alcohol-based markers for
the other five, shown below – lots of bright colors.

5. Here are close-ups of the pairs to show how the choice of
coloring medium can totally change the look:

6. Keep going…Stamp card fronts, bookmarks, gift tags, place
cards – and don’t forget about the envelopes! Two were shown toward the start
of this post, my third one is below. Design
Detour: Hunt for stamps that coordinate with the stamping. The US Forever
‘Pets’ stamps are just perfect.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

I’ve been a fan of Rubbermoon stamps for many years. When I
walked into The Queen’s Ink on August 6th to teach a class the display table just
inside the door stopped me in my tracks. It was filled with Rubbermoon stamps!
Before I’d even put down my tote bag and started set-up I went SHOPPING. (You
know how that goes…)

The two stamps I chose for today’s projects were the first
ones I picked up, though at the time I didn’t have an Inkling (pun intended) that
I would soon combine them.

As always, one thing led to another. I stamped the Julia
Cameron quote sideways on an envelope so the post office wouldn’t get confused
by the text. All of a sudden it looked like a person. Bingo! I got out the
Shrine Top and a figure appeared. A few quick doodles for feet, hands and face
and the envelope was on its way…

This fun discovery led to cards with sideways-quote
figures. Two of them are shown below.

While I was at it I made another one with a more traditional
look, shown below.

RECIPE FOR THE CARDS:

Use the samples as a starting point. Duplicate them as shown
or head in your own direction!

Combine two or more stamps in an unexpected manner. Design Detour: Turning a stamp sideways or
upside down will help you see it in a totally new way.

Add in some scraps, do a bit of layering and collage with
torn or cut pieces. Design Detour: The
fuzzy pieces on the cards are leftovers from a newsprint pad (the strip that
connects the front and back covers and secures the individual sheets).

Doodle, draw and color as shown or as you choose. Design Detour: Stamp a LOT of images so you
can practice drawing the faces, arms and hands, feet, or anything else you want
to add. Use glued-on collage or additional stamping instead of drawing if you
prefer.

Mix in some die cut wildflowers (leftovers from the WildflowerTags published in The Queen’s Inkling on August 2, 2016).

Top it all off with embossing powder, flocking, micro beads,
or another dimensional texture in selected areas. Design Detour: I used clear-drying Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue topped
with US ArtQuest ‘Berry Nice’ Prills, a jar full of fun...lot of colors and sizes in one mix.

Stick to a limited color palette. Design Detour: I worked with Kraft brown, grayish brown, and reddish
brown cardstock and chipboard, plus red, white, and black. There are specks of
gold in the Prills and I colored parts of the Shrine Top with a clear glitter
pen.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

I came home from teaching the fun-filled ‘Magical Land of
Magic Stamp’ class on August 7 with stamped bits of newsprint that the students
gave me as a souvenir. I planned on using them for an art journal page.

As usual, one thing led to another and as I tore the paper
into pieces for my collage I decided to go in another direction. I glued
everything to a 12” x 12” sheet of mustard gold cardstock and stamped over it,
using the blocks I made in class as part of the demo.

Then I cut the square into Artist Trading Cards that I’m
going to take back to The Queen’s Ink as a souvenir for each of the students to
pick up on their next trip to the store! There were 14 students and I was able
to make 15 ATCs, one for Patti and the gang.

The photo above shows the collage before it was cut into
pieces. It is relatively random, but I did try to keep some of the image-based
pieces (like the lion) from getting lost. Here are some close-ups to show how I
overlapped the scraps:

The photo below shows how I did the cutting. Two rows at the
left are 3.5” wide for a yield of 8 ATCs and 2 scraps. Two rows to the right
are 2.5” wide for a yield of 6 ATCs and 2 scraps.

As you can see from the photo above and the close-up below,
I ‘cheated’ when cutting the row at the far left to keep the whole lion’s face
instead of chopping it.

Because I wanted to end up with 15 ATCs, one more than the
number of students, I overlapped the two 3.5” wide scraps from the rows at the
left to give me that all-important fifteenth card. (I considered keeping the
remaining two scraps but did something radical
– I put them in the recycling bin! And left them there…)

Next stop, the ‘After Party’! Time to take each of the ATCs
to the next level!

I stamped each one ‘Best Day Ever!’, distressed the edges of
the rectangles with the same ink (my go-to dark teal green) and started
coloring, adding embellishments to each as a final touch.I used:

Rubber Moon ‘Best Day Ever!’ stamp by Sunny Carvalho

Dye-based ink in dark teal

Prismacolor colored pencils

Elizabeth Craft Designs Glitter Dots peel-offs (Transparent/Gold)

A white gel pen

A fine nib black pen

A copper metallic paint pen

Scraps of alcohol ink-altered Shimmer Sheetz

By popular request, I will be teaching The Magical Land of Magic
Stamp again in the fall!!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Simple arithmetic, right? Not necessarily. The first
equation refers to how I feel after teaching Make an Impression and The Magical Land of Magic Stamp classes at The Queen’s Ink on August 6 and 7
and after spending both days helping with the Trunk Show event where my own limited edition rubber stamp
sheets were for sale.

From the neck up I’m 22, batteries 100% recharged, my head
so full of ideas that I’m surprised I don’t topple over, enough energy for
three people and great memories spinning around like the gymnasts at the
Olympics. From the neck down I’m 93 with tired feet and knees, ready for a nap
right after breakfast, and if you asked me to carry my purse across the room I’d
have to demur.

So: 22 + 93 = 1. Yours
truly.

How about the second equation, 14 times 2? There were
fourteen students in each class with some people attending both, so 28 people
wasn’t the actual head count. But my version of math isn’t traditional. I’m
factoring in the following facts: Each person created and/or painted well over
a dozen pieces of Delight Air Dry clay (the count was higher on several
tables). Factor in the 150 blocks of Magic Stamp that were used to stamp
envelopes and folders and cardstock and newsprint (or went home in pristine
condition, waiting to be used later). Multiply that figure by the number of
ideas that were shared, the number of projects envisioned.

So: 14 x 2 = an
infinite number.

I wasn’t the only one whose head was spinning! A student who
has worked extensively with polymer clay thought that Delight was, literally, a
delight. One student has already planned her own Magic Stamp class. (She’s
going to teach the other teachers where she works.) Another is heading to India
with stamps she bought, as well as a big stack of lightweight Magic Stamp
blocks.

A little detour: I
once put a carry-on suitcase filled with Magic Stamp blocks into the overhead
bin of an airplane using only one hand to lift it and the men around me looked
on in amazement and applauded, thinking (incorrectly) that I must be some kind
of bodybuilder instead of just a person traveling with foam blocks!

The photos in this blog post are from the Make an Impression
class. Photos and a re-cap of the Magic Stamp class will follow later.

The projects you’ve seen so far are the samples I made to
illustrate how the clay pieces could be put to use.

The photo gallery that follows shows students’ work.

By popular request, we’re going to schedule a repeat of Make an
Impression this fall! And we will have enough sheets of my deep etched red
rubber stamps to have another trunk show. Magic Stamp classes will continue as
well.